Nintendo Proclaim 2013 As The Year Of Luigi

Nintendo have proclaimed 2013 as the "Year of Luigi," according to president Satoru Iwata. Making the announcement during today's Nintendo Direct presentation, Iwata delivered a new gameplay video for Luigi's Mansion 2, as well as revealing that the 3DS will be getting a new Mario & Luigi RPG this summer, along with a new Mario Golf game, and for Wii U there's a large, Luigi-themed expansion pack for New Super Mario Bros. U incoming.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon kicked things off, with Iwata demonstrating the varying functions of Luigi's new Poltergust, and showing off the game's 4-way co-op mode, which will see players helping one another out as Luigi clones to move further up a challenge tower called The Scarescraper.

There's also going to be a new Mario & Luigi RPG coming this year. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team will take place inside Luigi's dreams, with Luigi himself able to appear in a variety of forms to suit the obstacles that stand in Mario's way. The video even shows Mario summoning dozens of Luigi's to deliver a powerful attack in the middle of a battle.

Iwata also announced that New Super Mario Bros. U will be receiving a hefty downloadable content offering in the form of New Super Luigi U. A single-player experience that will apparently rival the size of a retail game, the expansion will see the game's existing levels transformed and re-worked for Mario's perennially overlooked sibling.

Finally, Mario Golf developer Camelot is also working on a new installment of the series for 3DS, which will apparently incorporate a refined, accessible control system for newcomers.